UK moving to the cloud despite security risks

Organisations see the risks, but they see the benefits, as well.

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Almost two thirds of all businesses are looking to move their business functions to the cloud sooner rather than later.

A report by Equinix found that cloud is one of the top considerations for IT professionals in the region and for almost half of them – it’s among the top factors impacting their business in the future.

Based on a poll of 1,200 senior IT professionals across the EMEA, the report says that 70 per cent of the respondents also expect cybersecurity risks around cloud adoption. That’s why almost half of them are focused on improving their company’s cyber security posture.

One of the biggest factors, when choosing cloud providers, seems to be physical proximity to the provider. In the UK specifically, two thirds of businesses see cyber security risks and breaches as one of the most impactful factors, which is higher than the region’s average.

More organisations also believe they will move to the cloud.

“The results of this survey reveal the huge shift towards cloud as businesses across EMEA prepare to compete in the digital economy. Cybersecurity risks and breaches are of course a matter for close attention but must not prevent businesses from undergoing digital transformation,” commented Eric Schwartz, President EMEA, Equinix.

“Hybrid and multi-cloud models are essential for today’s era of globalised coopetition. This private exchange of data, or interconnection, reduces the risk of workloads being intercepted, monitored and modified, allaying security concerns. This is perhaps why over three quarters of the IT professionals across EMEA believe interconnection will help their business gain a competitive advantage in the market place of the future.”